HCMC – Forecast and strategies for farm produce development amid tough competition and sustainable growth for the agriculture industry will be the main topics of the Vietnam Agricultural Outlook Conference 2013 (Outlook 2013) set to take place on April 4.

The organizers, the Center for Agricultural Policy Consulting and the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agricultural and Rural Development, said that the nation is facing many challenges such as poor farm produce processing capability and substandard food hygiene and safety.

Besides, uncertainties in the macro environment have caused many challenges to businesses in the industry and livelihood of farmers.

The global farm produce market is expected to face hardship this year due to complicated price fluctuations and strict requirements of consumers.

As this year marks five years of Vietnam’s admission to the World Trade Organization, the nation will have to open its door widely to many types of imported food and agricultural products. Meanwhile, local exporters will be obstructed by strict quality standards and trade conditions.

The Outlook 2013 organizing board will hold three meetings for rice, farming and aquaculture sectors. Guests will have a chance to learn about information and have discussions with experts from related agencies, associations and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A special meeting on rural development will also take place to help guests exchange the latest study results and significant discoveries in rural development and welfare of local farming households in the current context.

Vietnamese farmers have largely failed to benefit from their bumper crops for a long time, leading agriculture expert and South Vietnam University rector Vo Tong Xuan told Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper. Q: In your opinion, why can't the farmers sell their agricultural produce following their bumper crops? A There are various reasons leading to the problem. First of all, I should say, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have failed to provide them with accurate forecast on the market demand before they start cultivating the crops. On the other hand, during their…... [read more]

Dr. Vu Trong Binh, Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the agricultural sector contributes an average 25 percent to the national economy.However, the capital poured into agriculture accounts for only 14 percent of the total investment, and most of that was raised from non-state companies, Binh said. "The sector's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth has slowed down." In 2005, the rate stood at 3.8 percent and in 2006 2.8 percent. In 2007, it was 2.3 percent and is predicted to be lower this year. The rural-urban gap, natural calamities, and price hikes…... [read more]

This is the fifth consecutive conference bringing together policy planners, scientists and businesses related to agriculture and rural development. According to experts' assessments, the global agricultural products market in 2013 is forecast to face challenges of complicated price fluctuation, and falling consumer demand on tightened spending and the evident impacts of climate change. 2013 marks five years since Vietnam's WTO accession and is the time Vietnam starts realizing commitments to open its market and slashes taxes on processed agricultural products, while the country's agricultural product exports have to meet strict requirements on quality standard and commercial conditions. Therefore, the world's…... [read more]

The agricultural sector has drawn up a roadmap to deal with climate change. It is estimated that the total cost for relevant programmes and projects will reach nearly US$40 billion. According to Nguyen Vu Hoan, Head of the International Relations Department, said the Ministry is calling on international organisations to invest in ensuring food security, developing irrigation projects to adapt to climate change, reducing the forestation and assisting people who need to be relocated due to rising sea levels. MARD plans to meet 50 percent of the total cost by using funding provided by the international community, equivalent to US$20…... [read more]

Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Vu Van Ninh attended the workshop. Reports heard at the workshop revealed that the agro-fishery and forestry sector saw a year-on-year GDP growth of 3.7% from 1986 to 2013. In 2014, the sector contributed 18% to the GDP with rural workers accounting for only 47% of the national workforce, down from 70 percent in 1990. It also earned more than 30 billion USD from exports in 2014. According to the PCC Economic Commission, the Party and State have continuously attached importance to agriculture and rural development, as reflected in a number of policies issued over the…... [read more]

The Hanoitimes - The Party Central Committee’s (PCC) Economic Commission, the Communist Review magazine and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development co-organised a workshop to discuss measures boosting the industrialisation and modernisation of the agricultural and rural economic sectors. Deputy Prime Minister (PM) Vu Van Ninh attended the workshop. Reports heard at the workshop revealed that the agro-fishery and forestry sector saw a year-on-year GDP growth of 3.7% from 1986 to 2013. Deputy PM Vu Van Ninh makes a speech at the workshop. In 2014, the sector contributed 18% to the GDP with rural workers accounting for only 47%…... [read more]

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Restructuring and equitising State-owned enterprises in the agriculture sector must be implemented quickly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat said. The minister said this to participants at a conference to review restructuring of State-run enterprises between 2011and 2015, held in Ha Noi on Tuesday. According to the minister, equitisation must be an important part of the restructuring process of SOEs in the agriculture sector. Tran Ngoc Thuan, general director of Viet Nam Rubber Group (VRG), said despite achieving success, the equitisation process in some member companies remained poor. Thuan attributed the…... [read more]

Le Van Minh, director general of the International Cooperation Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), made the statement at the International Support Group (ISG) meeting 2009 for ODA for agriculture and rural development from 2010 to 2015 Wednesday in Hanoi. Minh stressed that Vietnam's agriculture sector needs between US$400 million and US$500 million in official development assistance (ODA) annually. Minh said that the money will be spent on four main targets, including implementation of "Tam Nong" policy, poverty reduction and hunger elimination, food safety and food security. In 1993-2008, around US$5.5 billion of ODA were reserved…... [read more]

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is calling for nearly $1 billion of investment in projects to cope with climate change, including $30-40 million for the greenhouse emission program. The information was released by Mr. Dinh Vu Thanh, deputy director of the MARD's Department of Science, Technology and Environment at the workshop "Vietnam's Agriculture Adaptation to Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges" that took place in Hanoi yesterday. Thanh said greenhouse emissions from agriculture still accounts for the highest proportion - 43.1 percent, of which rice cultivation contributes 57.5 percent, agricultural land use 21.8 percent, livestock…... [read more]

Restructuring and equitising State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the agriculture sector must be implemented quickly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat said. The minister said this to participants at a recent conference to review restructuring of State-run enterprises between 2011and 2015. According to the minister, equitisation must be an important part of the restructuring process of SOEs in the agriculture sector. Tran Ngoc Thuan, general director of Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG), said despite achieving success, the equitisation process in some member companies remained slow. The group has planned to conduct equitisation in five member companies between 2011…... [read more]